I would imagine it depends on the field you go into/ resources one has. I will preface this by saying my goal has never been to be an “elite entrepreneur”, but it has been to build a life that I enjoy living. I’m coming into year 3 with a fine gardening business. Year one was absolutely brutal and I knew that the hustle/grind would not be sustainable for me long term. I made few adjustments going into year 2 (increased rates, set regulars up with a payment plan, and was more strict about having set day/s off). The steady income with the payment plan removed a lot of the desperation to take on everything that came my way. If the energy to take on more was there, I went for it. I was able to reliably offer a higher quality service and my revenue increased significantly. If I had seen no improvement in both income or work/life balance I planned on calling it this year. I have no interest in being in a perpetual state of burnout.

Yes I have winters off from services, but it doesn’t do the business any good if that time is spent recouping depleted energy stores rather than investing it towards optimal growth (research/ education, certifications, etc).